While Patton Oswalt may have seemingly indicated that an Eternals sequel is being developed for the MCU, one of his co-stars set the record straight on Marvel Studios' plans.
Thanks to Marvel bringing aboard an all-star cast and an Oscar-winning director, Eternals came in with a great deal of hype upon its theatrical just over a year ago. And while the film underperformed both critically and financially, some of that due to the lingering effects of the global pandemic, Eternals set up the potential for future stories to be told later in the MCU's narrative.
Fans were also surprised to hear rumors about Marvel Studios already having plans to make Eternals 2, which went public through an interview with Pip the Troll star Patton Oswalt in August 2022. However, when a sequel was omitted from Marvel's Multiverse Saga slates at San Diego Comic-Con and D23, many were left questioning Oswalt's comments.
One of Oswalt's co-stars has now shared his own knowledge about what's going on with Eternals 2, potentially setting many up for disappointment.
Eternals 2 Debunked by MCU Star
Speaking on The Playlist podcast, Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani shared what he knows about Marvel Studios green-lighting a sequel for the 2021 MCU outing.
Discussing Patton Oswalt's quotes about Eternals 2 already being announced, Nanjiani admitted that he "[doesn't] think Patton was right" and explained that Oswalt may have seen something from "a hoax website." Although Nanjiani himself would "love for Kingo to come back," he's in the dark on Marvel's plans for Eternals 2:
“I have no idea. I don’t think Patton was right. I think that there was a hoax website – one of those where it’s like one letter off from the real one. They tweeted it, and it spread around and I think that’s what Patton saw. I honestly don’t know anything. I would love for Kingo to come back. I love playing that character…That one’s very fun to play, you’re just in a good mood. You do finger guns, you’re like a movie star – what’s not to love? You’re just in a good mood the entire time.”
The Kingo star looked back fondly on his time shooting the first movie while also praising Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for its efforts after attending the premiere:
“I shot that movie for five months and I think I smiled straight for five months, so I would love to come back and I love what the MCU is doing now. I just saw Black Panther 2 and I was really, really blown away. So, I’d love to come back, but I genuinely have no idea if or when.”
While Nanjiani confirmed that he doesn't know anything about the sequel, co-star Barry Keoghan shared recently that the Kingo actor is more in the know than anybody else on the team, particularly considering his love of comic books:
“Kumail [Nanjiani] is always the one I’m texting. I’m like, ‘Yo, have you heard anything on Eternals 2?’ Kumail knows everything. You know what I mean? He loves comic books. The comic world… I’m always texting him like about San Diego Comic-Con. I’m like, ‘Hey, are we going to San Diego for Eternals?’ but I’d love to see where it goes. I really would.”
Later in the interview with The Playlist, Nanjiani looked ahead to characters he'd like to team up with in future projects. He especially heaped praise on Iman Vellani's Ms. Marvel, calling her "such a talented actor and such a wonderful human being" and admitting that he'd "love to be paired up" with Kamala Khan should the opportunity arise:
“I would love to pair up with Ms. Marvel! I just love that show and I thought Iman [Vellani] was so good and I just got to meet her and hang out with her for the first time and she’s just such a talented actor and such a wonderful human being and I think we’d be great on screen together. I’d love to be paired up with Ms. Marvel.”
When Will the Eternals Return?
Even though Eternals first premiered in theaters more than a year ago already, there have been no indications that Marvel has plans to bring them back into their own solo sequel or any other movies. But this hasn’t stopped the cast and crew from teasing what Eternals 2 could potentially bring, especially with half the team being judged by the Celestials and the other half having just met Pip the Troll and Thanos’ brother, Eros.
Unfortunately, Nanjiani isn’t the only star who’s in the dark about Eternals 2, as Barry Keoghan and Kit Harrington admitted that they haven’t heard anything regarding a sequel being developed.
Should Eternals 2 become official, there may not even be room to add it to the MCU’s release schedule until Phase 6 or potentially Phase 7. But for now, the cosmic sequel remains unconfirmed with the original actors only hoping for their story to continue soon.
Eternals is available to stream on Disney+.
